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PROS

CONS

Object interaction can be difficult.

Static visuals cut the artistic style at the knees.

Abridged storyline.

VERDICT

It would have been lovely to see The Last King of Africa (Paradise) showing its full colors for the iPhone, however it'll take a hardcore genre fan to forgive the majority of its flaws in this release.

Full Review

App Store Info

It must be Christmas in July because Adventure-genre fans have had a pick of some great titles lately and now followers of prominent game developer Benoît Sokal can play The Last King of Africa on their iDevices. This game started its life under the commonly known title of 'Paradise' in 2006 and has now been published by Bulkypix on the App Store.

The traditional point-and-click interface of most adventure titles has been swapped with a basic smart-touch system in this release. While it is certainly easier to identify most interactive objects this way, there are some issues in selecting specific items including differentiating between different useable features of an interactive object.

Players take the place of a young woman who has lost her memory after a plane accident in Maurania. Artistically, a lot has been lost for this title as the beautiful interactive 3D environments have been replaced by statically rendered set pieces that lack a lot of the vibrant other-worldly energy of the original release. The story is slow to start, but definitely packs a punch at the end, but again it's not hard to feel cheated when the narrative is played out mainly through text boxes.

The Last King of Africa is a beautiful adventure title that suffers from poor controls and cut-back visuals, but genre fans might still forgive these for a chance to try a Benoît Sokal game on their iDevice.

Description

- Last King of Africa - Episode 1: Madargane

Benoît Sokal's masterpiece finally adapted for the iPhone.

A great, mysterious adventure filled with twists and turns that will lead you to the heart of the wonderful imaginary country of Maurania. Exciting riddles will make you progress in an extraordinary story with a captivating storyline.

After her plane crashes, a young woman called Ann Smith wakes up in the hospital of Madargane, a city located North of the African country of Maurania.

Who is she? What did she come to do here? Why do all those who meet her speak fearfully of king Rodon, dictator and absolute maser of Maurania? And what is the true role of the black leopard that is strangely connected to Ann?

Ann Smith will have to solve all these mysteries in a fascinating quest to find her own identity.

Last King of Africa - Key features:

The first game on iPhone from Benoît Sokal, master of adventure (Syberia, Amerzone, etc.).

Beautiful graphics and impressive cinematics.

A unique atmosphere with dozens of different places to explore.

A story filled with riddles and encounters.

Many different characters.

An interface perfectly adapted to the iPhone's tactile screen.

Trophies and bonuses to unlock: collect all the emeralds from Rodon's lost Treasure.

Last King of Africa (PC and NDS) - What the press has to say:

“17/20, an essential game" - Jeuxvideopc

“Puzzles that are challenging, but make intuitive sense. Beautifully rendered and highly detailed art” – Gamespot